After the Packersâ€™ run ends...

This is the part of the NFLâ€™s natural progression youâ€™d rather do without.

But like death, taxes and that flat tire in the middle of nowhere while on vacation, it canâ€™t be avoided.

Barring one of those I Just Won The $340 Million Lottery Miracles, the Green Bay Packersâ€™ run of 13 non-losing seasons is about to end.

The team that entered the season with just three playmakers is, thanks to a pair of season-ending injuries, down to one. As good as quarterback Brett Favre has been of late, about the best you can hope for is that he can keep this team competitive. Wins are going to be hard to come by.

But what happens next year, and the year after? Is the possibility of a quick fix on the horizon, or is this organization in for more of the same for the next couple of years?

Yeah, weâ€™ve come to that point of the discussion.

Certainly, some of this teamâ€™s future will depend on what happens with tailback Ahman Green, whose season ended Sunday at Minnesota with a ruptured quadriceps tendon.

Itâ€™s a serious injury that has ended the careers of some athletes â€” Charles Barkley leaps to mind â€” though Greenâ€™s age ( 28 ) and that he takes great care of his body (unlike Barkley) leads one to believe heâ€™ll be back.

But to what degree is anyoneâ€™s guess. Thatâ€™s the tricky part. Heâ€™s going to be a free agent, and while be wonâ€™t get the bonanza at the bank he had hoped for, heâ€™s going to be looking for a tidy sum.

The gamble is overpaying a guy who may never return to form. History says guys who have run with Greenâ€™s sledge-hammer style (Eddie George, Earl Campbell, to name two) have shorter careers rather than longer.

Green has not topped 100 yards for 12 straight games dating to last year, and while a revamped offensive line can be, at least in part, blamed for some of his troubles this year, his slip is showing.

Itâ€™s also fair to question whether Green wants to come back, knowing the quality of the line.

If Green does not return, it could be just the beginning of a falling house of cards.

If he departs, you have to wonder how that will affect Favreâ€™s thinking. While his skills, determination and desire are clearly there at 36, he knows his career is going to end with some lean years. The question is, how many is he willing to put up with?

What of receiver Javon Walker? Even if he returns completely from his knee injury, will the Packers be able to re-sign him after his attempt at seeking a new contract this year were spurned?

When that time comes and he looks around and sees whatâ€™s left, would he want to return?

I know what youâ€™re thinking: What about free agency?

Much like the Packers, the 49ers had a long run of success, with 16 straight non-losing years. That ended in 1998. In their next two seasons, they didnâ€™t win more than six games. They temporarily rebounded in 2001 and 2002, but since have had two straight losing seasons and are headed for a third.

The Dolphins had a streak of 15 straight non-losing seasons end in 2003.

They won just four times last season and sit at 2-4 and are not looking good.

Free agency is only part of the answer, not the answer. True, the Packers hit the jackpot with Reggie White, but it would be wise to remember he was an exception and not the rule.

The reality is, the Packers are on the downward spiral the NFL helps perpetuate; finish high, draft low.

While bad drafts and poor free-agent signings by former General Manager Mike Sherman helped speed the process along, it was going to happen at some point.

While bad drafts and poor free-agent signings by former General Manager Mike Sherman helped speed the process along, it was going to happen at some point.

Boy that line right there says a mouthful...Sherman alone dug this team a hole that could take some time to recover from. This cancer starts at the top with sherman and i say we start chemotherapy now. As poor of a job this man is doing as coach...is nothing compaired to his BULL$HIT job as G.M.

How long will it last? Lets just rewind a bit and make some key points:

- Packers are in the worst division in the NFL. Therefore, it doesn't require them to add endless playmakers, the best D, etc., but rather they do enough to beat out the Viqueens (who are a disaster from top to bottom), Bears (who have a O. that is as good as Coach Slo's D), Lions (who have WR's that are young, inexperienced, and who have no QB to get them the ball).
- Packers won last year on clutch FG's from Ryan. This year, they have lost on clutch FG's from Ryan. If Longwell makes the FG's, Pack are asily at least 3-3 at the moment, and atop the NFC North.
- Packers have a bunch of yougnesters (Jenkins, Peterson, Poppinga, Collins, Murphy, Manning, Underwood, Whitt, Wells, Coston, Leach, Montgomery, Caroll, Thomas, Hawkins, Rodgers). They have had youngsters step up and still play respectible. They will hopefully continue to improve.
- Packers have over 20 million in cap space next year. (Granted they have key FA's too, but regardless, 20 million with only Kampman and Green being key contributors who are FA's is great)

NOW, TT came in, got a really bad cap situation, and yet we are now in some cap breathing room. TT came in and got rid of players, and made one thing clear, lack of effort will not be tolerated. He shed Celtidus "I got paid so I don't have to play" Hunt and Darren "I thought we were playing flag football" Sharper. He got rid of problems that were on the team.

If that wasn't all, then in one single draft, TT gave our future more of a boost than all of MS's previous drafts combined. He got 2 starters (Collins and Whitt), great reserves (Underwood, Manning, Poppinga), and people who we can build our future around (Rodgers, Murphy, Coston). He replenished our team through only one draft. Say what you will, but it isn't TT's fault the injuries happened. If we pick high, TT is going to have even more talent to choose from, which will be excellent considering the type of drafts he had with the 'Hawks and his first draft with the Packers. If TT even remotly has the type draft he had last year, it will not be long before packers are retooled and ready to go.

Now with MS, I believe this year is crucial for him. To be more precise, I believe this year was the best thing for MS. His let downs will serve as invaluable experience to him. He will become better because of what he learns, and his players and the Packers, and the Packer fans will benefit from that. Perhaps MS has to much free time on his hands. Maybe he is analysing things way too much, making things more complex then they need to be. Who knows. But one thing is for sure, MS at this point in the season is better then MS at the start of the season, if for nothing else than his expereince gained.

I trust in TT, I trust in MS the coach. I trust in Bob Harlan. With those people at the helm, I trust the Packers to be better next year.

If we pick high, TT is going to have even more talent to choose from, which will be excellent considering the type of drafts he had with the 'Hawks and his first draft with the Packers. If TT even remotly emulates the type draft he had last year, it will not be long before packers are retooled and ready to go.

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great comment...

we have a lot of needs, but you saw last year, thompson trades down, gets extra picks...and we have a depth of young players on our bench on defense, guys who could end up starting (hawkins) or guys who will be good situation/special team players (poppinga, montgomery, underwood, etc.)--kurt campbell has yet to have an opportunity also,

its not like i'm rooting for this team to lose out, but i'd be interested to see what thompson would do with an arsenal of high picks...

I'm confident about next year. If we pick up some top notch guys for our Oline, maybe even a dynasty type RB, we have a great shot to be top of the division again. Especially if Favre doesn't retire this year. If he does, we may be in a bit of a predicament, though I don't think it'd take over a year to get Rodgers the experience he needs. We'll see though.

The party is due to end sometime. It is inevitable. It is something that happens. We will bounce back. We have to rebuild. There are sometimes to win and sometimes to lose. Thats reality. I have said so before and I will say it again. It was a fun run. A downturn is due to happen.